Jay-Z, Kanye West Break iTunes Record

Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaborative effort Watch The Throne made history last week by setting the record for most iTunes downloads of an album during its first week of release, after moving 290,000 digital copies, according to the New York Times.

The album was released exclusively on iTunes last Monday [August 8], before appearing in Best Buy stores on Friday, as part of a strategy aimed at preventing album leaks, as XXLMag.com previously reported.

The previous iTunes record holder was Jay-Z collaborator Coldplay, with their album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, which was downloaded 282,000 times during its first week.

Watch the Throne is expected to sell around 400,000 to 500,000 copies during its first week. Remember to check back with XXLMag.com tomorrow for the official figures.—Martin Spasov